


Unnecessary confusion

by fullmetalpotterhead



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Everything is a mess, F/M, I can't stop laughing at them, Marinette jumps to conclusions, Secret Identities, and Adrien follows her, causing confusion, the children are self-concious dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-14 01:09:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5723848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmetalpotterhead/pseuds/fullmetalpotterhead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Adrien finally works up the courage to ask out Marinette, the new couple couldn't be happier. Everything is going perfect. Right?</p><p> </p><p>Stop looking at my summaries and just read the tags okay?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> You know I feel like my fics are better understood by their tags than their summaries at this point. Oh well. Alyseb I was supposed to be doing your requests but I was talking to ellecim and this happened. I'm sorry I'm trash.

Nino had done this on purpose. Obviously Nino and Alya had somehow conspired together to put Adrien in this position.

  
He had been hanging out with Marinette and Alya for almost a year now. Marinette had stopped stuttering around him (with the exception of a few lapses now and again) and he'd been able to finally get to know the sweet girl who sat behind him. It hadn't taken long before he was hooked and slowly but surely, Marinette filled his mind.

  
She was just so vibrant. So alive. Everything she did was full of ambition and optimism. Every word she spoke full of emotion and feeling. He found even his Lady love couldn't compare to the whirlwind that was Marinette.

  
He'd always been a bit curious about his classmate. She was so open and friendly to everyone. Though she seemed to have a habit of being late, she was an excellent student and easily one of the best in the class. Her extroverted nature intrigued him, but whenever he tried to get close she seemed to push him away. Nino had explained, in painfully simple terms, that Marinette had had a massive crush on him ever since he moved into their class. Still he couldn't quite believe it. It just seemed to perfect. Too lucky for someone famous for their bad luck.

  
And so, despite Nino's urging, he and Marinette remained "just friends".

  
He didn't mind that at all. Even if it meant majority of the time he spent with her was shared with Alya and Nino, he found nothing to complain about. Adrien liked hanging out as a big group. He liked having laughter bounce off the walls of his too big room. Liked feeling a little less like it was empty. Any time he could spend with Marinette was good time. They didn't have to be alone for him to enjoy her company.

  
But as he and Marinette sat together for their weekly group movie night, he felt his nerves creeping up on him.

  
Nino wasn't exactly helping.

  
**'Dude Alya + I missed mvie nte 4 u. Just ask her out'**

  
_'I can't just ask her out!'_

  
**'?**  
 **Whts stopping u'**

  
_'What if it makes things awkward? She came over to hang out as friends. It's weird enough with it only being the two of us I don't want to make her uncomfortable.'_

  
**'Shes in luv w u**   
**Srsly dude**   
**Ask'**

  
_'You keep saying that but I don't think she is.'_

  
**'Y not'**

  
_'She doesn't seem happy when we're alone like this.'_

  
**'Whts she doin'**

  
_'She's just ignoring me and the movie. Texting someone I think. She probably wants to leave but doesn't want to be rude.'_

**'I s2g dude**   
**Ur so dense**   
**Shes just nervous**   
**Arent u doin the same thing rn'**

  
_'She was texting before I started texting you.'_

  
**'Shes txting Alya**   
**Nervous not bored**   
**Told u'**

  
_'Wait how do you know that?'_

  
**'Cause Im w Alya rn'**

  
_'Why?!'_

  
**'Mvie nte'**

  
_'Why did you bail on movie night if you were just going to have your own?'_

  
**'Srsly**   
**Ask her**   
**Or we ll bail nxt week 2'**

  
_'This is peer pressure.'_

  
**'Ye'**

  
Adrien sighed and put his phone down, doing his best to appear focused on the movie while he watched Marinette. If Alya supported him too then it must not be a total lost cause. He could do this.

  
"Hey, um Marinette?" She jumped slightly, as if she had been caught doing something wrong, before bringing her attention up to him.

  
"What's up?" Her voice sounded a little too high, but with his nerves he barely noticed.

  
"Since this was Alya's movie pick anyways I thought maybe we could just end it early."

  
"Oh."

  
"And maybe, if you want I mean, we could play video games or something?" He held his breath until she nodded enthusiastically.

  
"Sure, that sounds good!"

  
"Cool."

 

 

Three rounds of Mario Kart and an abundance of yelling later, they sat eating pizza together. Marinette was back to normal, but unfortunately with the game no longer there to distract him, Nino's encouragement echoed in his head.

  
"It's really cool to be able to hang out with you like this, Marinette." She cocked her head to the side, pizza still filling her cheeks.

  
"We hang out all the time."

"Alone I mean. It's...nice." Her eyes widened slightly. She was panicking. No no no, he couldn't have messed it up already.

"I, um, like hanging out with you too." She wouldn't meet his eyes but her voice was soft. Loving even. Maybe it wasn't completely hopeless.

"I like you." He hadn't meant to say it. Not like that at least. Marinette flailed a little, dropping the pizza slice she'd been holding and looking up at him in a flash.

"Y-yeah, me too." Her voice was high and breathy. What did that mean? Was she really just nervous like him? Closing his eyes, he took the leap. Even if she didn't feel the same, Marinette wouldn't hate him. They could still be friends.

"I love you." Silence. His heart simultaneously dropped to his stomach and rose to lodge in his throat. Daring to open his eyes, he found Marinette shell shocked and staring at him, mouth agape. "It's okay if you don't feel the same! I just wanted to tell you. Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable or anything."

He thought he'd be used to rejection. Ladybug had taught him how to carry on without betraying what a mess his heart was. But Marinette wasn't Ladybug. She wasn't laughing it off; giving him a way out. She was staring like he'd admitted to having magical powers or something.

Desperate to find a distraction, he began cleaning up their mess. His focus was so laser pointed that he almost missed her whispered reply.

"Me too."

"What?" He clutched the napkins in his hands tightly. This had to be a dream. There was no way Marinette, beautiful, incredible Marinette, was looking at him with so much love and uncertainty in her entire expression. There was no way Marinette was leaning forward slightly, stars in her eyes.

"I love you too." Carefully he set down the napkins and scooted towards her slowly.

"Really?" She nodded, jerky and quick as she fiddled with her hands. He could have laughed. He could have cried. Marinette, spectacular, breathtaking Marinette actually felt the same. "Will you go out with me?" That nod again. Another day he might have been disheartened by her silence. But with her looking at him with that small, nervous smile and a soft blush covering her cheeks as she agreed to be his girlfriend, he couldn't have been happier.

 

* * *

 

"And then?" Alya leaned forward, itching for information.

"He hugged me and we were kind of giggly and weird until I left but it was perfect."

"That's all?"

"What do you mean 'That's all' this is huge!"

"With how red you are I would have thought you spent the afternoon making out."

"What? No! We just started going out. It's too early for that... Right?"

"Girl, you've been crushing on him for years and I know you still have his schedule hidden somewhere in here."

"That doesn't-are you making fun of me?" Alya laughed and patted her friend's head.

"No way, I'm proud. I guess it was worth Nino and me skipping movie night."

"I'm still mad at you for abandoning me like that."

"Girl, we're the reason you two are dating."

"No, Adrien is."

"I saw Nino's phone. He had to practically shove you at Adrien." Marinette's smile dropped a bit.

"Do you think he just asked me out because of Nino? Maybe he was just being nice. What if-"

"Nope," Alya held a hand over Marinette's mouth, "you're not over thinking it. Not this time, girl. I told you Adrien liked you. Everyone could see it."

"Alright alright." Marinette flopped back on her chaise with a content sigh. "It's all like a dream."

"Did you guys make any plans?"

"Yeah! He's coming over for dinner to greet my parents."

"Already? You only started going out yesterday."

"He said he wanted to properly introduce himself now that we're a couple." She giggled a little, remembering his serious expression when he'd told her that. Briefly, she wondered if he wanted to introduce her to his father. Either way that was a worry for later. Right now she could daydream about her new boyfriend.

"When's he coming?"

"Seven."

"So in twenty minutes."

"What?!" Marinette shot up, scrambling to look at the clock. "Oh no I didn't realize we'd been talking for so long. You have to go!"

"Less than twenty four hours with your new boyfriend and you're already abandoning me for him." Marinette threw her arms around her best friend, planting a kiss on her cheek for good measure.

"I'll call you later now leave. I wanted to make dessert!"

 

 

At seven pm on the dot, Adrien was greeted by Tom and Sabine. He had been worried they wouldn't approve of his new relationship with Marinette, but they welcomed him as warmly as always.

"I had been wondering when Marinette would finally work up the courage to snag you." Sabine said, joking smile curling her lips. "She used to have pictures of you all over her walls, but since you started coming over she's hid them in her drawer."

"Mom! Don't tell him anything weird!" Marinette flew over to the group dragging her parents away from him.

"You had pictures of me?"

"Her desktop used to be you."

"Mom!" Sabine chuckled at her daughter's frantic flailing.

"Okay, okay I'll stop."

"Come in," Marinette tugged on his hand, her face the prettiest pink he'd ever seen. "We were just setting the table." Adrien let Marinette- his girlfriend Marinette- lead him to the dinner table. "Papa made fish for dinner. You said you liked fish right?"

"I love it." He took his spot next to her as her father began to dish out their meals. "Thank you for dinner, Mr. Dupain."

"You're always so polite, Adrien. We're practically family now, just call me Tom." Marinette was practically bursting with pride beside him. Giving him a small smile, she brushed against his hand, taking it in her own. That simple touch alone made him lose his breath, but another glance over revealed her to be no less nervous than him. Her entire face was beet red as she tried to eat normally. She was more amazing than he could ever believe.

And she loved him back.

 

* * *

 

When they finally met for patrol on Friday, both Ladybug and Chat were brimming with excitement. They chased nothing on the rooftops together, running and laughing and singing. Even after finishing their rounds they were still giddy and full of energy.

"So, my Lady, what's got you in such a good mewd?"

"I got a boyfriend."

"Me too!" She raised her eyebrows.

"Really?"

"Er-girlfriend I mean."

"Looks like it was a lucky week for both of us then."

"You've got that right. I know I can't tell you her name-but I will tell you she's very incredible."

"More than me?" She teased.

"More than anyone in the whole world." Ladybug giggled at his lovestruck musings. "What about your boyfriend? What's he like?"

"He's perfect."

"Purrfect?"

"Stop. I've had a crush on him for years, you're not ruining this with your dumb puns."

"Does your boyfriend know you hate puns?"

"Does your girlfriend know you make bad jokes?"

"She thinks I'm hilarious."

"You really like her, huh?"

"She's just so amazing. Her family too."

"And what do they think of their daughter hanging out with an alley cat like you?"

"They love me."

"Lucky."

"What, does your boyfriend's family not like you?"

"Not exactly. I just haven't gotten the chance to meet them. His dad is kind of a workaholic." Chat nodded in understanding as she continued. "I didn't think it was a big deal at first but after seeing A-my boyfriend talking with my parents I really want to."

"Well he only asked you out this week, right? You'll probably get the chance to eventually."

"Hey I just realized something."

"Hm?"

"How long did you say you had a crush on this dream girl?"

"I dunno, a few months?"

"This is why you've been flirting with me less, isn't it. I knew something happened!"

"And Prince Charming is the reason you've never responded to my advance then?" She scoffed.

"Don't get a big head, Kitty. Prince or no Prince I would have rejected you."

"I'm glad."

"Why's that?"

"If you hadn't I might never have seen her." Ladybug ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Alright, alright enough about them. Let's make another round before we call it a night."

"Don't pretend you don't want to brag about your love too."

"Oh I have been. All week. But if you get me going I'm not going to be able to stop talking about him." He grinned.

"Good thing it's still early then."


	2. Jumping to Conclusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I tried taking Amy's advice and spacing out the lines more. I can go back and do the first chapter like this if you guys like it this way.

Something was wrong. 

They'd been dating a little over two months now-two beautiful, perfect months- but after her cloud of excitement had calmed down enough for her to actually watch her new boyfriend closer, she could see something was off. 

He'd disappear sometimes. At first she hadn't noticed because it was during the time she had to go out as Ladybug. But then Alya had made a comment on them sneaking off during attacks to be alone. Marinette had laughed it off at the time, unable to explain exactly why she was never around when akumas attacked, but the information began to eat at her. 

True enough, during attacks, Adrien was never present. Chat had had to snap her attention back to the fight several times lately when she got distracted looking for her missing boyfriend. But she could never find him. Then he would come back to the classroom looking flushed and all too pleased with himself. 

She hadn't put the pieces together until she was reading a magazine Adrien was in, and came across an article. Ten ways to tell your boyfriend was cheating on you. 

1\. He gets weird about you looking in his phone or bag.

Adrien did carry his bag around everywhere. And last time she'd volunteered to get him things from it he'd nearly tripped over himself trying to stop her. At the time she'd brushed it off as a privacy issue. But then again, Adrien wasn't exactly a secretive person. He didn't seem to have any problem with her snooping through his room to find movies or class notes. What was it about his bag he couldn't show her?

2\. He always has a reason he can't meet up with you. 

While she knew he was busy, it was pretty weird that on the weekdays that it wasn't her turn to patrol, he could never hang out. When she and Chat had started alternating days, she'd assumed that would mean she would have those days to spend more time with Adrien. But he always seemed to have some reason she couldn't come over. That couldn't just be the extra lessons right?

3\. He has more friends that are girls than you do. 

While she wouldn't call them friends exactly, Adrien did hang out with female models on a regular basis. It was just part of the job. When she'd hung around during shoots, he'd been nothing but polite to them. But some of them did hang on him a little. Just like with Chloe, he never seemed to really brush them off. He just sort of accepted it. She'd always assumed it was because he was too shy to say anything but maybe they were all secret girlfriends?

4\. You haven't met his family. 

Well that one wasn't exactly true. She'd met his father's fiancée, Maria. The woman had been friendly and supportive of their relationship. But she'd known Maria before dating Adrien, the woman was a regular at the bakery, freely giving Marinette tips and critiques for designing. So she didn't really count. His father was the one Marinette really wanted to see, but Gabriel still had yet to formally meet her. He was a busy man apparently. 

5\. He gives you "guilt gifts" to make himself feel better about cheating.

It was true Adrien did shower her with little gifts, even though she'd constantly told him he didn't have to. He always insisted on paying for meals and bringing her flowers on days she seemed upset. It was sweet, really, the attention he paid her, even if it embarrassed her to no end. But what if they were just guilt gifts?

She closed the magazine; feeling sick. There was no way Adrien could be cheating on her. 

Adrien was perfect. He was sweet and thoughtful and attentive. He always made sure she was comfortable. Besides, he had asked her out. Why bother if he was just going to cheat? He wouldn't. He couldn't. 

But maybe he'd gotten bored. Woken up from whatever delusion he'd had about her. He was Adrien Agreste. Famous teen model. Paris' very own Prince Charming. Really, why would he notice her?

It wasn't that Marinette thought she was worthless or anything. She knew she had her own things to make her incredible. But they were quieter. She wasn't that extraordinary unless you were paying attention and why should Adrien bother to pay attention to the stuttery girl who sat behind him in class? Especially when he had women quite literally throwing themselves at his feet? He could have anyone. 

This was all ridiculous. Adrien loved her; she was getting paranoid. Probably just projecting her guilt about hiding her secret identity onto him. 

It was Friday, usually she and Chat patrolled together when there wasn't school the next day but... Did Chat really need a partner to patrol? It was rare anything ever happened. If she just hung out with Adrien tonight, she would be able to put her silly fears to rest. Chat would understand that. 

Packing up her bag, Marinette leaned forward, catching the blonde's attention. With a smile, he leaned across the desk to meet her, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. 

"Do you want to hang out tonight?"

"I'd love to, but I've got a lot of homework." Adrien explained, looking truly regretful. 

"Dude, it's the weekend. Take a break for once." Nino slung his bag over his shoulder, disbelieving look on his face.

"I don't mind just studying together." She bounced nervously, offering a smile. 

"I'd get distracted by you, sorry. Tomorrow we can hang out though, okay?"

"Sure." Marinette tried to calm down the swirling panic bubbling up. Adrien probably had a perfectly good reason why he had to do his homework tonight. She would see him tomorrow. Everything would be fine. 

 

* * *

 

Ladybug had been tense all night. Her moves were jerky and distracted. She didn't bother joking back when Chat made bad puns. Everything about her body language screamed 'anxious' and it was beginning to rub off on him.

"My lady?"

"What?" Her brow was creased, lips pressed firmly together in worry. 

"Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing."

"I'm just being paranoid is all. Don't worry about it."

"If you wanna talk about it, I'll listen."

"No, I'll be fine. Can we patrol separately for a while? Meet back up here?"

"Why?"

"I just want to check on something."

"I can come with-"

"No, it's... It's related to my civilian life."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I'll meet back with you in an hour?"

"Sure. Call me if you change your mind about talking though." Chat held up his baton, looking like he wanted to ask more, but as usual he didn't pry. 

Ladybug just nodded, taking off across rooftops. She would just peak inside Adrien's room. A quick look couldn't hurt anything. She'd see he was diligently doing his schoolwork like he'd told her he would be and be able to sleep tonight. 

Everything would be fine. 

Lowering herself slowly, Ladybug peered into Adrien's room to find it empty. Okay. That didn't necessarily mean he had lied to her. Maybe he had stepped out to go to the bathroom or something.

A tiny voice in the back of her mind tugged the edges of paranoia back in again. There was no homework laid out in the room. If Adrien had just stepped out for a quick break, wouldn't his papers still be out?

No. This wasn't fair to Adrien. He wasn't a cheater. She was sure he'd walk right back in any minute now. 

But minutes passed by painfully slow and Marinette found herself wishing she hadn't come at all. She had to get back to Chat soon. She'd been stalling for too long.

As if hearing her thoughts, her yo-yo vibrated and she slid the compact open to reveal her partner. 

"What happened? It's been over an hour."

"Sorry, Chat. I think I'm just going to head home for the night if you don't mind."

"Well, it is quiet. You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"Maybe later."

"Okay. I'll see you on our next patrol."

"Right. Bye."

"Bye." 

Taking one last glance at Adrien's still empty room, Marinette stumbled back home. Flopping through her trapdoor, she released the transformation and watched Tikki fly into her line of vision. 

"I'm sure you're over-thinking it, Marinette. Adrien loves you!"

"You're probably right. Maybe there was a last minute shoot he had to attend."

"Why don't you call him?"

"But it's so late..."

"You know he's not asleep. Besides, Marinette, knowing you, you'll never be able to sleep if you don't figure this out." Marinette smiled at the Kwami before pulling out her phone, waiting nervously until Adrien picked up after an agonizing ten seconds. 

"Marinette?"

"Y-yeah."

"What's up?"

"Just wondering what you were up to."

"I thought I told you earlier? Its just homework. Although I'm taking a break to check on the Ladyblog right now."

"So you're at home?" She heard him laugh on the other end. It didn't seem very funny to her. 

"Yeah. Why?"

"You've been in your room all night?"

"Ever since I got back from classes, yes." Liar. Why would he lie about something like that? Of course she couldn't very well call him out on lying without admitting she'd practically stalked him. "Marinette? Is something wrong?"

"Nope! Just wondering what my boyfriend has been up to! Nothing to worry about."

"Okay? Are you still coming over tomorrow?" She hesitated. If she said no, would he just spend it with some other girl? But would she really be able to hang out around him without over-analyzing his every move? Either way nothing would be solved by avoiding him.

"Sure. I'll see you then."

"Great! I should probably get back to work now. Goodnight."

"Night." Marinette listened to the dial tone beep for a few minutes before rolling over and bracing herself for another sleepless night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And let the confusion begin. This one wasn't as fun to write. But next time she gets Adrien involved so that'll be spazztastic.   
> Also I totally used Serenity's OC because I adore her. ( http://archiveofourown.org/works/5656519/chapters/13028575 plus its on tumblr). I'm such a dork for Maria and Gabriel its not even funny. So yes I wrote that portion just to give her a little cameo because I'm shameless. Maybe Maria will cameo in more fics who knows. She's canon in my heart.  
> Comments and Constructive Criticism are appreciated, thank you for reading (this fandom is so nice about fics and giving kudos and hits, I love you all)


	3. Falling Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I love confusing these crazy kids.

Ladybug was really starting to worry him. All weekend during joint patrols, she'd been distracted. Chat had decided to check on her. Normally, he'd just trust her to handle patrol on her own- she could fight and akuma by herself if it came to it and patrol were usually uneventful- but after seeing her during that last fight... Well it couldn't hurt to check up on her. 

Landing quietly on the roof she was sitting at, he made his way to her side. 

"Wanna talk about it now?" Ladybug, strong, capable Ladybug, looked up at him with such confusion plain on her face. 

"I think my boyfriend is cheating on me." He momentarily felt a surge of anger for her. Chat might have gotten over his crush on her, but she was still his best friend. She was wonderful and no one should have been able to taken advantage of her like that. "But maybe I'm just over-thinking things."

"Why do you think he's cheating on you?" He calmed himself down, taking a seat next to her. 

"It's just... He disappears sometimes and always has terrible excuses. One of them I know was a flat out lie. Remember when I said I had to check on something the other day?"

"Yeah."

"I was checking on him. He wasn't in his room that whole hour. I called him later and he told me he'd been in his room doing homework the entire night. It's not like it would be hard either, he's pretty popular."

"I guess that does make sense." Unbidden, his mind brought up that joke Nino had made awhile back. About Adrien and Marinette sneaking off during akuma attacks to go make out. He'd taken it for granted that she was just protecting herself and hiding. But if he thought about it, that wasn't like Marinette. Usually she'd be helping evacuate people. That didn't mean she was cheating on him though. Marinette would never. 

"Plus he's always strange when I ask about meeting his dad. Like he doesn't want us in the same room together. It's probably just because he has a tense relationship with his dad but..." She fiddled with her hands as Chat processed her words. Marinette never wanted him alone with her parents either. No, this was ridiculous. That was only because she was embarrassed. Not because she had a second boyfriend or anything. 

"Are there," he cleared his throat, "any other reasons you think he might be...?" 

"He gets really strange about his bag too. Like he doesn't want me looking through it because he's hiding something." Marinette's bag. She never let it out of her sight and always just insisted it was 'girl stuff'. It couldn't be though. "Chat are you okay? You look kind of upset."

"That sounds just like her." Ladybug had to lean close to hear him. 

"Who?"

"Mar- My girlfriend. That sounds just like her." Ladybug's face fell even more. 

"Oh kitty, I'm sorry."

"She couldn't though. She's too sweet, she would never even consider..."

"Do you want to go check on her? I'll wait here."

"That would be like admitting I don't trust her."

"Did she tell you what she was doing tonight?"

"Homework. All night." Ladybug nodded. 

"If she is, you can rest easy. Go check." Chat so clearly wanted to go, but he hesitated. "For me? I want at least one of us to be able to say it's just paranoia." He nodded, taking off. With a deep sigh, Ladybug pulled her legs up and hugged them close, waiting for her partner to come back. 

 

Two hours later she called him. He had to come back now. Waiting there any longer wouldn't make him feel better. He went home. So did she. 

Neither of them could shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. 

* * *

Chat Noir ducked into an empty classroom and transformed back. The battle today had been awful. Luckily, Ladybug seemed to be able to focus again, because he spent the entire fight searching for Marinette. Everyone in the classroom was accounted for, except for her. 

The fact that she'd insisted she had been up in her room all night yesterday, hadn't helped much. 

"Are you planning on skipping class? Because if you are, you still owe me extra Camembert for that little adventure last night."

"You'll get your cheese after school, I'll go to class now." Peaking out the door, he was surprised to see Marinette, hair a bit tousled and cheeks flushed, coming out of a supply closet. In an instant his last hope was shattered. There was no way he could explain away her being in that closet. Marinette didn't hide from danger and she sure as hell didn't get that look from just hanging out in enclosed spaces. 

Whoever her kissing buddy was, they'd left before her though. The closet was empty when he'd went to check. Even Plagg had the decency to stay quiet when Adrien told the teacher he wasn't feeling well and would like to go home early. 

Marinette looked worried, but he couldn't bear to face her after knowing what he did. After telling her he would be fine, he left. 

Curling up on his bed didn't prove to help much, his thoughts and fears running wild, but at least he didn't have to think all of them while she sat behind him. Who knew. Maybe whoever she was cheating on him with was in the class too. Maybe they laughed at him, laughed at how naive he was to have believed Marinette, smart, spectacular Marinette, would actually give him a second thought. He was just bad luck after all. Why would someone as wonderful as her actually want a lonely child like him? 

* * *

Maria knocked on his door before peaking her head in. "How're you holding up, short-stack?"

"I'm fine. I told you you didn't have to leave work for me." Maria came over to sit on the edge of his bed, stroking his hair. 

"I wasn't doing anything there, I couldn't do at home with you."

"Thanks."

"Marinette is here to check on you. You up for company?" Adrien tensed. "I'll take that as a no."

"No, I want to see her." Maria gave him a funny look before shaking her head. 

"Whatever you say. I'll be in the office if you need me." Walking out of his room, Adrien heard her call down the stairs, "Come on up, Marinette." The soft sounds of the girl running up the staircase echoed a bit in the too-big house. Popping her head into the room, she gave him a concerned smile. 

"Are you feeling any better?" He nodded, trying to keep his eyes from meeting hers. 

"You can come in." She walked over to his desk chair, pulling it closer to the bed as he sat up. The silence made his head swim. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not much, I brought the homework."

"Thanks."

"No problem." She shifted awkwardly. "Did you get hurt during the attack?"

"What?"

"You left right after the akuma and I don't know how much Ladybug can cure, so I thought maybe-"

"It's not Ladybug's fault." Marinette jumped a little at his tone and he immediately regretted saying anything. 

"Okay. I was just worried." He felt his heart give a little at the weakness in her voice. If she was cheating on him, why was she so upset? Maybe it was just in her nature to be kind to people. 

Maybe she'd only ever agreed to date him because she was trying to spare his feelings. 

"I'm just a little tired. Sorry." Was it wrong of him to not tell her he knew? But, if he told her, wouldn't she just leave?

"It's okay. I have to help my parents at the shop anyways. Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. See you then." She slid the chair back into place before freezing. 

"Hey Adrien?"

"What is it?"

"Did you say you really hated fancy cheeses?" 

"Yeah, why?" Of course he hated fancy cheeses, with Plagg bugging him with them 24/7 they were nothing but annoying. Why would Marinette- oh. Oh no. After he'd gotten home he'd brought Plagg a whole platter of the stuff. In some weird show of affection, Plagg hadn't scarfed it all down right away. How was he supposed to explain that to Marinette. "I-" 

Looking over at him, he swore she had tears in her eyes before she ran out of the house. 

But that didn't make any sense either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I casually mention Maria enough times, maybe she'll become canon. I think this is the last time I'll be able to put her in this fic though. I have two more chapters and I'd have to do some serious rearranging to put her in more. And this fic is ACTUALLY supposed to be about Marinette and Adrien sooo....
> 
> I don't know how clear it is but Marinette totally thinks that cheese is for his secret lover.
> 
> Now both my children are confused and paranoid. I love it. Its just so easy to do.
> 
> Comments and Constructive Criticism are appreciated. Thank you for reading!
> 
> test __test __test


	4. It All Falls Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this was such a rush woo! I got pretty emotional and then excited there. My heart is still racing.

It seemed a matter of course that Ladybug would show up for her partner's patrol that night. She was swimming in her own doubts and knew his mind would be in no better of a place. 

They didn't even bother to pretend they would do any actual patrol, but there was a strange peace in being someone else for a while. No one would ever dare cheat on someone as confident and powerful as Ladybug. The suave Chat Noir wouldn't care enough to get this distraught over a cheating girlfriend. 

But they weren't just Paris' superheroes. 

They were kids. They had stupid crushes and fell head over heels for someone who didn't love them back enough to stay faithful. 

Ladybug had never seen Chat cry before. She'd seen him sacrifice himself for her a million times over looking determined and sometimes peaceful. Seen his face, distant and discouraged when he used to talk about his father. She'd even seen him angry, once when she had put herself in a very dangerous position. 

But his tears, filling his eyes and running down his cheeks as he stared out at Paris looking so small, that's what broke her. 

Soon she felt her own tears start, terrible and suffocating, and any other day she might have tried to hold them back. Tried to stay strong for him. For them. But they were both tired and hurt and she knew her partner wouldn't judge her for the lapse into weakness. 

She wasn't sure who had hugged who first, but soon they were both sobbing on each other's shoulders, shaking so hard it hurt, ragged cries muffled to whimpers by fabric. 

And it wasn't pretty, and it wasn't graceful, and it wasn't the Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noir. 

But it was Marinette and it was Adrien, and they didn't really have the energy to be anyone more than that. 

Eventually, the tears stopped and the pair took shaky, steadying breaths. Ladybug's voice was still a little broken when she finally spoke up. 

"Do you want to tell me about it?" For a minute, she thought he might start crying again. 

"Is it wrong that I still want to be with her?"

"Come here." Ladybug tugged Chat closer, resting his head in her lap and smoothing his hair. "If you're wrong then so am I."

"You could never be wrong, my Lady." She laughed, or maybe sobbed, she wasn't sure at this point. 

"I'm afraid if I tell him I know, he'll break up with me. We're pretty stupid huh? We should be the ones who want to break up with them." She sniffled, regaining her composure a little as she scratched behind his real ears, startled to feel a purr run through him. 

"Maybe my bad luck is rubbing off on you." 

"Oh kitty, you're not bad luck."

"Sure."

"I'm serious. I wouldn't be able to handle all this without you."

"Thanks for the sentiment, but I'm positive if it was you, you'd manage."

"Paw-sitive?" She cringed a little at herself for making the pun, but seeing the small smile he gave her for it was worth it. 

"Are my puns finally growing on you, my Lady?"

"I still think they're terrible, but I do admit, I'd be really lonely if you weren't around to make them." Paris was quiet, in that distant humming way cities could be.

"I never told her my puns."

"What?"

"My girlfriend. I was worried she wouldn't like them either, so I never told her any."

"Anyone worth your time will accept all of you."

"Do you think if they knew, the would have stayed?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I'd told her I was Chat Noir, savior of our city. If you'd told him you were Paris' favorite lucky hero Ladybug."

"Chat, you know we can't risk them knowing."

"No, I know. But if we did. Do you think we would have been enough for them then?"

"I don't know kitty. I don't know."

* * *

"Alright, you look like you've been hit by a truck, what happened." Alya cornered her as soon as break started. Marinette supposed she shouldn't have been surprised; she'd only been able to avoid the questioning this morning by slinking into the classroom right as the bell rang. She felt bad for purposely avoiding her best friend, but after being up most of the night crying, only to fall asleep on an uncomfortable rooftop, she wasn't feeling up to questioning. 

"Way to flatter me, Alya."

"Girl, I'm seriously worried. You've been acting really weird lately. What's up?"

"It's just..." Marinette looked around the classroom, Adrien seemed to be distracted talking to Nino, but she didn't want to risk him overhearing. "Let's talk somewhere else." 

Alya, thankfully, kept her mouth shut until they got to a quiet corner of the library. Marinette pulled out a chair for herself, curling inward as she sat. 

"Okay now what's up, girl? You've been avoiding Adrien lately and now you come in like this. Are you guys fighting?"

"You noticed?"

"I'm your best friend, of course I noticed. Besides, you're not exactly subtle. Just say the word and I'll kick his ass for you." Marinette let out a weak laugh. 

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Come on, what's wrong?"

"I think," Marinette had told Chat and Tikki, but somehow telling Alya felt harder, as if saying it this time would make it any more real. "I think Adrien's cheating on me."

"Marinette you're being paranoid again, Adrien is super in love with-"

"I'm not being paranoid! I'm not the one he's sneaking off with to make out with during attacks."

"What?" Alya looked as if she was the one who had been cheated on. 

"He barely ever kisses me anyways, and when he does, it's nothing we would need to sneak off to do."

"Do you know who the other-"

"No. But he keeps lying about where he is at night too. I don't know where he is but it's sure not 'in his room doing homework'. And then I found fancy cheeses in his room."

"Fancy cheeses?" Alya's shock and sympathy was momentarily halted by this confusing new information. 

"Adrien hates fancy cheeses. He once ranted about them for an hour. They were probably for his secret lover or something."

"Have you talked to him about this?"

"No- and Alya, don't. I don't want to make a scene over it. There's no reason the whole school has to know he's cheating on me."

"But-"

"Please Alya. I'll talk to him eventually. Just, not right now okay?" Alya bristled but finally nodded with a deep sigh of irritation. Bending down, she pressed a kiss to the top of Marinette's head before squeezing her. 

"If you change your mind, I'll cuss him out for you."

"I know. Thank you."

"Let's get back to class." Smiling gratefully, Marinette took Alya's hand and walked back together. 

It felt a little better knowing she had one more person on her side. She just hoped Alya would keep her mouth shut until Marinette could sort out what she wanted to do. 

"Oh look, the tramp's back." Chloe blocked the classroom door, shooting dangers towards Marinette. 

"Get out of the way, Chloe." Alya looked ready to slap her. 

"Or what? Marinette's going to call up all her boyfriends to come beat me up? I can't believe there's someone beside Adrien who actually likes you."

"Chloe, stop." Adrien's voice chimed in from further in the classroom. 

"What are you talking about?" Marinette held Alya back, trying to keep her voice even. This day just kept getting better. 

"Honestly, you get lucky enough to snag an Agreste and you have the guts to-"

"Chloe, that's enough!" Adrien sounded angry, or maybe scared. But she just trekked on.

"So who's your little kissing buddy, hm?" Chloe tapped her finger to her lips dramatically before snapping. "That's right! Didn't Nathanael have a crush on you? Did you honestly cheat on _Adrien _for art boy?"__

__"Chloe, stop!" Adrien ripped Chloe away from the door. "Please just shut up."_ _

__"What are you talking about?" Marinette repeated, looking around at the classroom at the few students there. All eyes were on them._ _

__"Don't play dumb. I heard Adrien talking to Nino about your little _adventures _."___ _

____"What are you suggesting?" Marinette could barely contain Alya now._ _ _ _

____"That Marinette's cheating on him."_ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Chloe wasn't supposed to be in this. They were just supposed to confront each other. But of course she had to mess things up sooooooo~  
> Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated, thank you for reading!


	5. Coming Together Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow its 1:16 am and I'm feeling kinda dizzy now but I had to finish this because I really should focus on homework tomorrow (today I guess) but I had to write and ajsdjklsjsdfkljsldfkj
> 
> Also if anyone was curious about the timeline for Marinette's paranoia its:
> 
> Thursday- Marinette finds the magazine.  
> Friday- Adrien lies about doing homework.  
> Saturday- mentioned/implied patrols  
> Sunday-mentioned/implied  
> Monday-Chat realizes Marinette is cheating on him  
> Tuesday-Adrien sees Marinette come out of supply closet. Ladybug and Chat cry  
> Wednesday-the confrontation aka now
> 
> So this has been about a week for Marinette. She's further into the stages of acceptance about the cheating thing than Adrien is. They were dating "a little over two months" (as stated in chapter 2) before most of this takes place.

"That Marinette's cheating on him." Alya flew out of her best friend's hands, descending on Chloe like some unholy angel of justice. Marinette was too shocked to try to stop her. 

"Just because you're jealous of Marinette, you think you can run your mouth about her? Grow up, Chloe! You're just upset your dad's influence can't get you Adrien!"

"Alya, calm down!" Nino rushed over, trying to pull the girls apart. "She isn't worth it." Alya turned towards the boy, a vicious look in her eyes. 

"How can you just let her bad mouth Marinette like that? I thought you were our friend?!"

"I am, but..."

"But what?" 

"But it's true isn't it?" It happened fast, a crack like thunder echoing in the room as Nino reeled back in shock from Alya's slap, glasses knocked askew. 

"Marinette would _never _cheat on anyone." She turned her death glare towards the blond haired boy behind Nino, still frozen. "Adrien on the other hand..."__

__"Wait- dude-back up. Are you saying Adrien's cheating on Marinette?" The girl in question let out a whimper and all of Alya's fury vanished in a flash. She turned her back on the boys, concern for her friend taking over._ _

__"Oh. God Marinette. I didn't mean to- I just-" Marinette shook her head, tears building in her eyes as she finally remembered how to move. And move she did, turning and running away from the room like something was chasing her. Alya groaned, running a hand through her hair, "She _just _told me not to tell anyone."___ _

____"Marinette's accusing me of cheating on her?" Adrien's voice broke through._ _ _ _

____"Well aren't you?"_ _ _ _

____"No!" Alya turn back to face him, looking unconvinced._ _ _ _

____"She seemed to have some pretty solid evidence. The only reason I haven't touched you yet is because she asked me not to. So you better sort whatever this is out before she changes her mind about protecting you." Adrien didn't have to be told twice, running out the door, he blindly searched for his girlfriend._ _ _ _

____Where would she even be? Where did Marinette like to hide? The image of the supply closet came to mind, but he roughly forced it away. That was a conversation for after he found her. Right now he just had to focus on the finding her part._ _ _ _

____"Instead of running around aimlessly, you could always try her phone." Plagg suggested, snarky tone softened more than usual._ _ _ _

____"Good idea." Fumbling for the cell, Adrien selected her contact and waited, catching his breath. He was sure it was about to go to voicemail when she finally picked up._ _ _ _

____"Hello?"_ _ _ _

____"Marinette! Where are you?" The line was quiet. "Marinette?"_ _ _ _

____"Why do you want to know?"_ _ _ _

____"Shouldn't we talk about this?" He heard an exasperated sigh on the other end._ _ _ _

____"Fine." Her cold tone cracked at his hope. This was it. She was going to break up with him. "I don't want to do this in public though. That scene in the classroom was bad enough."_ _ _ _

____"You can come to my house! No one's even home."_ _ _ _

____"Fine. I'll see you there." He started running again. Maybe he could talk her out of it. Maybe he could find out what she wanted from him. He could try harder. Be whoever she wanted._ _ _ _

____He just wanted her to stay._ _ _ _

____Despite his efforts to hurry, she still beat him. Standing outside his door, shoulders curled as she hugged herself, she looked so far from him. Without a word, she followed him into the house, into his room, and walked to the middle of it before stopping, staring through his vast windows. He squirmed, not knowing how to bring up all the things that needed to be said._ _ _ _

____"Why did you tell Nino I was cheating on you?"_ _ _ _

____"I know you are. You don't have to pretend."_ _ _ _

____"So what? I agreed to date you for your money? Your fame?" Oh. He hadn't thought of that. That made sense._ _ _ _

____"You tell me." She spun to face him, expression scrunched up in something akin to anger._ _ _ _

____"I agreed to date you because I love you! What about you?"_ _ _ _

____"I told you I love you." He felt himself shrink under her emotional rage._ _ _ _

____"Then why are you cheating on me?"_ _ _ _

____"Why would you even think that?"_ _ _ _

____"What were you doing last night? Where were you?" With Ladybug, but he couldn't tell her that._ _ _ _

____"In my room. Doing-"_ _ _ _

____"Doing homework? Except you weren't! I checked Adrien. You keep lying to me, what else am I supposed to think?"_ _ _ _

____"I have my reasons, okay?"_ _ _ _

____"And why can't I meet your dad?"_ _ _ _

____"He's busy."_ _ _ _

____"He's always busy? I know things got better after Maria moved in. I know you spend more time together now. So why can't you take five minutes of that time to introduce me? Are you ashamed of me?"_ _ _ _

____"Of course not!" He was scared. His dad was better now, but there would always be that lingering self-training to never show any weakness to his father. Always be a sort of brokenness between them. Marinette was something good and pure in his life and he was scared his father would take that away._ _ _ _

____"You're around girls who are _hired _to look beautiful all the time, it's not like I don't get it. I can't compete with girls who have teams of professionals to make them look perfect."___ _ _ _

______"You are perfect!"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Then why don't you want to kiss me?" The anger gave way to tears. Bitter, irritated tears she tried to wipe away in rough brushes._ _ _ _ _ _

______"But I do kiss you." This didn't make sense. Why would Marinette be so worked up about all this if she were cheating on him? There was too much to process and everything was happening so fast. He didn't have time to think._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Those little pecks don't count. That's barely more than _Alya _touches me. You've never really kissed me."___ _ _ _ _ _

________Marinette wanted him to kiss her. He'd always been so worried he'd scare her away. So careful not to make her uncomfortable. Had he been reading her wrong all this time?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Are they better than me?" Her voice broke through his muddled thoughts._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Who?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Whoever you're cheating on me with." Something in Adrien finally snapped. Here he was getting all worked up for her. Trying to fix things and please her. She was the one cheating on him, and she dared accuse him?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Maybe you're just projecting."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Don't deny it Marinette, I know you're cheating on me."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Where are you even getting that idea?" Her dry anger was back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I saw you come out of that supply closet."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What are you talking about?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yesterday. You came out of the closet looking thoroughly kissed."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You're delusional."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Who are you sneaking off to meet during akuma attacks?" Marinette suddenly paled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Akuma attacks?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yes! After the attack, I saw you coming out."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"That's not what you think it is."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Then what is it?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I can't tell you."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Is it because of the kissing thing? Is that why you're cheating on me?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I'm not cheating on you!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I know you're sneaking out of your room at night! I checked too, Marinette. You weren't home!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I'm not cheating on you!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Then explain it, please! Prove me wrong! Why were you hanging out in a supply closet? Why are you lying about where you are at night?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Fine! Tikki spots on!" A pink light flooded his vision and left Ladybug where Marinette had been. "I was using the closet to transform back! I'm out at night to patrol! What's your excuse? Why do you keep lying to me?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Ladybug?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yes, I'm Ladybug!" It all made sense. Of course she disappeared during all the attacks. She had to go fight in them. Of course Marinette carried her bag everywhere. She probably kept her Kwami there just like he did. And that time he'd gone to see if Marinette was home. There's no way she could have been. Because she was still out on a rooftop waiting for him to come back. He dropped to his knees on the ground, covering his face with his hands._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It all made sense in a horribly ironic and terrible sort of away. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________So he did both._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What's so funny?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You're Ladybug."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Is there something wrong with that?" He could see her getting defensive already, drawing up her walls of cool anger to maintain her composure._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Nothing's wrong with that. I'm so glad it's you, _my Lady _." He watched the gears turn in her head as she took in what he'd said.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Chat?" He saw her lips move to say it more than he actually heard it. With that expression, you would have thought she'd seen a ghost._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Claws out!" Adrien looked up at his partner, his girlfriend, his best friend, as his transformation ended. Ladybug- Marinette?- stumbled back until she hit his couch, grasping at it for support. Gaping at the floor, he waited for her to make the next move, drying his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"You were on patrols too."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Yeah."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"What about the cheese?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"The cheese?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"From yesterday, when I came over! You had a platter of cheeses you hated. Who was it for?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"My Kwami." He watched her mouth form an o, letting silence stretch between them as they sorted through the bubbling realizations._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"And I'm the reason you even suspected I was cheating on you. I planted that idea in your head."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"And I encouraged you." She started laughing too, and soon they were both in hysterics. They laughed until their stomachs ached and their throats were hoarse, tears staining their cheeks. It was all so perfectly simple. The answer had been staring them in the face the whole time and somehow, even with all the clues laid out, they'd still found a way to get it wrong._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"We're so stupid." Marinette spoke up, still gasping for breath._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Probably the dumbest couple in the world."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"How did we manage to make such a mess of this?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Who knows? We might have set the world record for unnecessary confusion."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"I can't believe it." She joined him on the floor, stretching out to stare at the ceiling as they both released the transformations. "I'm so glad I was wrong." He glanced over at her, the sound of her small, sad whisper making his heart lurch out, desperate to comfort her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"It's okay now. We were both wrong."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"How am I going to explain all this to Alya? I'm pretty sure she's ready to kill you."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"That's tomorrow's problem, purrincess."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Don't start. There's no way she's going all afternoon without answers. We're missing class you know." Adrien sat up. Class. He'd completely forgotten. They had to hurry or- "Hey," Marinette tugged on his arm, "can we just stay? I feel like I haven't really been breathing since last week. I'm not ready to share you quite yet." After a moment’s hesitation, Adrien took her hand and tugged her up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Let's at least move to the couch. The floor isn't that comfortable."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Okay." Marinette followed him, curling up at his side the moment they settled down. She was right. Feeling her beside him like this was kind of like breathing again. He hadn't realized how much he'd needed this-needed her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________They would have to talk more eventually, there was plenty left to deal with, but right now they were both content in knowing their partner really loved them back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Dealing with more questions from parents and friends later seemed worth being together like this. Listening to each other's breathing, steady and close. It seemed like hours had past before either of them spoke._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Marinette? Are you still awake?" She shifted against him, resting her chin on his shoulder to better face him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Mhm."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"When you said- I mean do you still want to- we don't have to right now of course but-"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Calm down, kitty." He felt a shiver go through him as her breath brushed his cheek, the side of her body along his, hands intertwined. Wouldn't it be selfish to ask for more?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Can I kiss you?" He felt her pull back from him a little, and when she didn't respond, he dared to take a peek at her reaction. Her eyes were full of wonder and awe. Had he done that?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"You really want to?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"I've always wanted to."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Then why didn't you?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"I get really nervous around you, Marinette. And what if I'm no good or you don't like it or-"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Close your eyes." He squeezed them shut, entire body stiff. "Relax kitty, I'm not gonna bite." After a giggle he heard her add a quiet, "Yet."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Do you-um- have experience with this kind of thing?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Nope. So it'll be a learning experience for both of us, right?" He felt a load of tension relax out of him. "You know, you don't have to be afraid to ask me about stuff like this. I might not always say yes, but it's better when we talk right?" He opened his eyes again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Can I... Can I take your hair down then?" She seemed surprised for a moment before she grinned._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Sure." They rearranged themselves to face each other better as he took out the pigtails, running his hands through her hair. It was as soft as he'd always imagined. Marinette leaned into his touch, smiling contently. The magical spell was broken too soon when his hand hit a snag, tugged at her head and startled a yelp out of her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Sorry!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"It's fine, Adrien. _I'm _fine."___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Right. Sorry. I'm just kind of nervous." He swore she had to be able to hear his heart pounding with it as loud as it was in that moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"You think I'm not?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"You don't exactly look like it." Taking his hand in both of hers, she held it against the side of her neck. Adrien wasn't quite sure he was breathing anymore._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Can you feel my pulse?" Pulse? Right. That was a thing. That was what she wanted to show him evidently._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Trying to breath like a normal person, Adrien focused on her pulse, beating with little flutters under his fingers._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"It's really fast."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"See? Not as perfect as you thought, huh?" Actually, that only made her even more perfect to him, but he had a feeling that wasn't what she wanted to hear._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Scooting closer, Marinette grabbed onto the back of his shirt. "Didn't I tell you to close your eyes?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Sorry, I got distracted." Marinette let out a breathy laugh. He leaned over so she could reach him better, feeling his skin prickle knowing it was so close to her. Hesitantly and awkwardly, he felt Marinette tilt her head to the side. Should he do that too? Which way were you supposed to tilt your head again? Or did it not matter? Maybe-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________All worries were erased by Marinette's lips, firmly pressed against his. It was new and exhilarating to feel her lips moving against his. Like they _belonged _together. To avoid making a bigger fool of himself, he decided not moving would be the best course of action. This quickly proved to be the wrong choice when Marinette pulled away, Adrien following for a minute before snapping back.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"Did you not like it?" Marinette squirmed. She was trying to leave? She couldn't! Desperately, Adrien grabbed her hand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I loved it, please don't leave." She gave him a confused frown._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"Why didn't you kiss me back then?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I didn't want to mess up."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"It's a just kiss, dummy. You can't mess up. Besides, I feel like I'm forcing myself on you when you don't kiss back."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I will this time. Promise."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"Okay." Marinette began leaning towards him again. She was so close; he could almost-"Close your eyes, kitty!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I like watching you."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"It's embarrassing!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"Okay, okay!" Adrien followed her instructions, closed his eyes, and waited. Again her lips met his and he felt a rush go through him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He still wasn't sure what he was doing, and maybe she wasn't either, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter that their first real kiss was sloppy or that Adrien had panicked and bitten her tongue when she tried to use it. It didn't matter that they had to stop kissing a few times to laugh at each other. Because in the end, all that mattered was they were together._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________And they wouldn't have it any other way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alya was originally supposed to be very calm during this whole process. Then Chloe called Marinette a tramp and all bets were off. 
> 
> (I'm trash who uses time skips fight meeee I'm sorry I don't know how not to)
> 
> Writing that fluffy bit was fun though. My lovely daughter Pozolegirl helped make it better too. I will never not write these two as being awkward first kissers. They will never get a magical movie first kiss on my watch (partially because I'm still trying to figure out how to write kisses oops) but mostly because these two are dorks who totally have an awkward first kiss come on.
> 
> Wow I've been talking to you guys a lot. That makes it look like I'm some cool person with a ton of comments. Really I'm just a nerd who likes talking to you guys and had to be explained how to do the html coding by Amy entirely through the comments section. Good times. Now I am wiser.
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated (I wanna get better so if you have a suggestion speak up!), thank you guys soooooo much for reading all of this! Its been really fun to do and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.


	6. Standing Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE! TAKE IT! I actually finished writing it last night but I couldn't get on my computer to edit it (I have a system where I write on my phone and edit on my computer and it's important or else this chapter would have been so weird). But its done now. I hope it's what you wanted. I'm still a fan of how I ended it before but hey, I managed to squeeze another Maria mention in so

"You ready for this?" They both held out their phones, finger over the power button as they sat in the back of Adrien's car.

"Do we really have to turn them back on?" Explain to their parents that night why they'd missed class had been interesting to say the least. Luckily, Tom and Sabine had noticed their daughter's odd behavior lately and ending up spending most of the evening lecturing on the importance of healthy communication before making them swear to never ditch again.

Gabriel was a different. Marinette finally got her wish. She was formally introduced as Adrien's girlfriend.

And almost banned from seeing him then and there.

 

If it hadn't been for Maria's intervention, she probably would have been. But, with both his son and fiancée pleading her case, Marinette was let of the hook after a stern lecture she was pretty sure had shaved a few years off her life. And Adrien was grounded until further notice.

Marinette wasn't exactly sure _how_ he'd gotten his father to agree to let him pick her up, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with not tell him at all.

With the pressure of dealing with their parents to worry about, they'd both been perfectly content to push off dealing with their friends until later.

But, as it turned out, twenty minutes before school was "later" and they were both a little nervous about the texts and calls they'd probably gotten.

"Alya's already going to kill us for ignoring her this long. We have to know what we're walking into."

"After you, princess."

"I'm not turning mine on first, you go!"

"We'll do it together then." Marinette nodded. "On the count of three."

"One." They were in so much trouble.

"Two." Maybe they could switch schools and never look back.

"Three!" Both their phones powered to life. For a brief, wonderful second, there were no new notifications.

And then their cells caught up to all the hours they'd missed.

**Alya **  
**Where are you girl? **  
**Are you with Adrien? **  
**I'm suspended but Nino says you guys aren't back yet. **  
**Marinette? **  
**I'm really sorry **  
**Are you ignoring me? **  
**Adrien isn't responding either **********************************

************************************Nino **  
**Alya xplaind **  
**shes really worried abt u **  
**Adrien w u? **  
**r u mad @ us? ************************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

**********************************************************Rose **  
**Are you ok Marinette? **  
**Alya and Nino said it was a misunderstanding but we don't know the details **  
**No one believes Chloe, don't worry **  
**Feel better ok? ** <3  
********************************************** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Marinette stared at all the unread messages (72 more, many from numbers she didn't even know) and decided she'd read enough for now.

"How's it look on your end?"

"I didn't know Alya had such a colorful vocabulary." Marinette flung herself towards him to read his phone over his shoulder.

"She didn't!" Adrien laughed, showing her the screen.

"You're right, she didn't." Marinette pulled back, hitting his shoulder playfully.

"Jerk."

"She did write a very strongly worded paragraph on how Nino had explained my side of the situation, but if it turned out I was hurting you or ever did, she would personally orchestrate my murder."

"That's terrible."

"I don't know, I think it's sweet she cares so much."

"No I meant that she told you that through text. That's solid evidence against her. If the police find that she'll become a prime suspect." He laughed, pulling her in to peck her on the cheek.

"Good thing I don't plan on hurting you."

"And I don't plan on letting you get murdered by anyone else."

"Do you want to wait for them in the classroom or hope they won't say anything when we walk in right before the bell?" Marinette sighed, hiding her face by nuzzling further into his hug.

"I still vote we just run away."

"We have to tell them. Seems like Nino did some damage control but we can't let weird rumors spread." Marinette tensed, freezing in his arms a moment before pulling back.

"I forgot you're a model. Do you think the rumors will affect your work?"

"I'll be fine, Princess. But I would prefer we sort this out sooner than later." Marinette nodded, taking his hand in her own as she led them towards the classroom with singleminded purpose.

Before they walked in, Adrien tugged at her hand, stopping her tracks and catching her attention.

"What's wrong."

"You look like you're ready to punch someone for me."

"I might have to punch someone for myself."

"Hey." He tugged on her hand more, pulling her to his side. "We'll punch them together. We're a team, right?" Her face relaxed as she leaned into his touch.

"Right." And so they walked in, close as a wall. Nino looked up from his phone, grinned at them, and turned it around. Alya inspected the couple from the other side of the screen, face void of any emotion before she grinned too.

"Glad to see the lovebirds worked it out!"

"Sorry you got suspended."

"Worth it. Doesn't mean you two are getting out of explaining your disappearing act to me though."

"Isn't the most thing that we're happy now?" Alya deadpanned.

"No. As much as I love you, Marinette, you don't get to freak me out like that and then pretend like it's nothing."

"It really was though. We talked it out and realized it was just a really elaborate misunderstanding." Nino adjusted the phone's position so he could be seen by the journalist on the other end too.

"Told you, dude. They're as thick as thieves when they wanna be. You owe me five bucks."

"I'll get her to tell me eventually, this this isn't over."

"Wait you two were betting on us?"

"We're not the only one, dude. There's a few different bets going around."

"I can't believe you guys!" Nino shrugged but Alya had the decency to pretend to look sorry.

"Marinette? Adrien?" The couple turned to face Mylene and Ivan. The girl looked up at them with a relieved expression. "I'm so glad you're back!"

"Yup. It was all a huge misunderstanding." Marinette ground out the words carefully, determined to make sure everyone understood. Mylene nodded before turning to Ivan.

"You owe Rose and I ten, mister." Shrugging, the boy handed her the money. Smiling triumphantly, Mylene ran up the stairs to find Juleka and Rose. The trio gestured, speaking too quietly for Marinette and Adrien to hear before Juleka handed the two girls money.

"You guys bet we wouldn't be back together?!" Marinette couldn't believe it. Juleka looked unphased.

"I was hoping Nathanael just wasn't telling me something." The redhead in question whipped around to face his friend.

"Juleka!"

"What, its true."

"I told you Marinette wouldn't-she's not-she's with Adrien." He finished lamely.

"Thank you, Nathanael." Marinette smiled.

"Oh don't act all high and mighty. You bet Adrien was the one cheating." Adrien's eyes widened, Marinette looked ready to pounce, meanwhile the poor boy sunk lower in his seat.

"That wasn't a bet that was speculation between friends." He mumbled.

"Did everyone bet on us?"

"On one thing or another yeah." Alya spoke up again. "Hey Nino was that Chloe who slunk past the screen awhile ago?"

"Yeah." The couple turned their attention on the seething blond who was pretending not to notice them.

"Turn up the volume on your phone for a second." Nino did as Alya asked, turning the phone screen to face Chloe. "Hey Chloe! You lost your bet, why don't you pay up!"

"Chloe didn't bet money," Nino explained as Alya continued her taunting.

"Well then what did she-?"

"This is bullying! I'm going home." Chloe stalked off, only stopping in front of Marinette. Adrien curled protectively around his girlfriend, apparently irritating Chloe enough to get her to finally storm out of the room, pushing past the teacher coming in.

"Close enough. That should get her to leave you two alone for awhile."

"I don't understand. What was her bet?"

"That Adrien would break up with you. And if he didn't, her payment was she would tell the principal she started the fight with me and accept the suspension in my place."

"It doesn't look like she's going to."

"No but at least she won't start anything while I'm gone now."

"Class, please take your seats. Nino, if you would turn off your phone."

"Bye Alya!"

"Bye!" Nino slipped his phone in his pocket as the couple came up the row behind him, Adrien leaning forward.

"Mind if I sit with Marinette? Just until Alya gets back."

"I get it, bro." Nino gave him a thumbs up before facing the teacher.

The rest of the day the couple made sure to stick, sickeningly close, making sure there were no misunderstandings about the truth in the rumors flying around about them. When Nino joked that Marinette looked like she was guarding Adrien, Adrien made an over dramatic show of protecting Marinette right back.

After spending most of the day rejecting or confirming various rumors, Marinette was tired . So when the bell rang for dismissal, she summoned the attention of everyone she could and dragged Adrien into the center of the school court.

"Listen up! Adrien and I are happily dating. No one is cheating on anyone. We are very much in love and if anyone has anymore questions," Marinette turned, yanking Adrien down to her level. After crashing their mouths together somewhat painfully, surprising her boyfriend, they both leaned into the kiss. Yesterday's practice seemed to have done more good than they thought and several people found themselves looking away from the couple's blatant display of affection.

Pulling apart slow, Marinette blinked at Adrien slowly, as if in a daze, before turning back to the crowd, proudly showing off their intwined hands. "I think that should answer everything." With a smirk of she led her still stunned boyfriend out into his waiting car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Slow blinks are kitty kisses I couldn't resist even though that kiss was more about Marinette making a statement rather than being sweet. It felt like a secret code)  
> I felt like Rose would totally be the type to text to check in. Yeah  
> You guys were all super duper fun to talk to!!!! I feel like this chapter was kinda meh compared to how I felt writing the rest but I told you I would write it sooooo. Yeah. Thank you guys for everything. I love you forever. Now I must figure out what to write next. *wanders off in search of inspiration* (Don't be afraid to tell me how to improve ever I love knowing)

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter is all fluff. Next time the fun begins. You have no idea how hard it was to do Nino's text talk. So painful to write. But also I feel like he would so I had to.  
> I'm trying to stop writing so short and do more detail. Hopefully its working.  
> (Also my italics don't work and I want to fight someone)  
> Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated!


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